Edmonton Hub

Wren Kauffman is living proof of the progress that transgender people are making in North America. He is 11 years old, just started grade 6 in Edmonton, Alberta and he recently came out to his school as transgender. His brave steps have garnered him media attention across Canada.

Wren said he was originally apprehensive about coming out to his classmates. But after he did come out he wasn't bullied or called names, he said. And he has the full support of his teachers and the school division to back him up in case anything does happen.

At all Edmonton Public Schools, there are rules to protect lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual and queer students – the district was the first in western Canada to enact such rules.

“With regards to the washroom, he uses the male washroom,” [Stacey Taylor, Wren's teacher] said. “Same as the camping trip, he identifies as male so we put him with the male students.”

The CTV article contrasts Wren's story with that of Coy Mathis, a 6-year-old girl in Colorado whose school refused to allow her to use the girls' washroom. Coy's parents were left with the choice to leave her in that hostile environment or homeschool her. They chose the latter.

LGBT advocates in Ablerta, Canada are thrilled that Progressive Conservative Alison Redford will be the first sitting Alberta premier to address Edmonton's Pride Parade on June 9, the Edmonton Journal reports:

“It’s quite significant,” said Colleen Sutherland, co-chair of the Edmonton Pride Festival Society. “This is record-breaking news. I think that it shows that everybody is accepted across the province and it emphasizes the Edmonton (public) school board taking on the new sexual orientation and gender identity policy.”

During April’s provincial election, the Wildrose party found itself in the hot seat after a 2011 blog post surfaced by Allan Hunsperger, a pastor and subsequently defeated Wildrose candidate for Edmonton South. In the post, Hunsperger criticized the Edmonton public school board as “profane” and “wicked” for its antibullying stance in support of gay students, and wrote gays will burn in a “lake of fire.”